Fastener for the bows of car-tops.



W. SMALL.

FASTENER FOR THE BOWS 0F CAR TOPS.

APPLICATON FILED MAR. 27. 39|?.

Patenti New. mi?,

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l rrnn STATES PTETUFFC WILLIAM SMALL, or MELiaonlnnri,l v1oroRIA,;AusrnAL1A,

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known .that 1WrLnIAM SMALL, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and aresident of Albert Park, a postal district of thecity .of South Melbourne, a suburb of the` city of Melbourne, in the county of Bourke, State of Victoria, Commonwealth of Australia, (whose postofficet address is 181 Beaconseld Parade, Albert Parkin-.the said city of Melbourne,)

l have invented a certain new and usefullmproved .Fastener for the `Bows of Motor- Car Tops, of whichtheifollowingis a speciication. p

This invention relates .to motor carl tops the bows of which when down at their rear .ends rattle. disagreeably, while passing over 4ruts or uneven roads. yWhen strapped down the bows cannot always'be tightened'isuiciently to preventY the ,rattle, because the hole in the strap in advance ofthe tongue f, 'is frequently too far in advance'. for the;

tongue to enter,whereasthe one behind it leaves the strap too slack.

, a simple and effective fastening ymeans for preventing the rattle and noise Vdue tother bumping ofthe bows against each other'.

Provision is also made, for preventing injury to the enamel or varnish on the bows.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the uppermember or bed ofthe fastener.

Fig. 6 is a section offFig. 5. A layer of 'u leather or other material is above the bed to Y protect the bow from injury.y

Fig. 7 shows the upper and'I lower member in this instancehas a flat bed.

FigfS `is an end view of Fig. 7. .v jj Fig. 9 is an underneath view of the lower olcoil of one of thespring s.. 'I

'strap 5,. ,y a p i On reference toFig. '1 it willbefseen that 1a lower member is used having a pinhole said spring 'bed fare holes 13 The object of this invention to provide rAs'rENER ronfrnn lBows or oAre'rors. i p

- Patented Nov. 6,' 1917.. v,Application nlednamheziswj seialnaisvei. .I i

. is aside view ofthe same.;

`This invention is applied to a motor car body 2 (see Fig. 11)' from ywhich protrudes `an extension pin 3. The bowsl which support the top are strapped together'vby a ,7 therein which passesover the extension pin 3.y before referred' to. The said lower member is secured to the extension pinby a locking screw. 8. Through'the 'said' lower member is :formed a lateralfstrap slot 9.

Thesaid; lower member has'a semicircular vspring, bed 11 the length of kwhich depends uponfconditions. Insteadl of the semi-circularfspringbed 11 a flat spring bed 12 (see Figs. 7 and 8)-may 'be used. VThroughthe v to pass the lower ends of springs. v

Resting upon the spring bed. are two or ,more coiled springs. These are.preferably,V conoidallyv wound'having a small upper end 15 and a large lower end 16. The lowerend l has av centripetal extension18 from which depends a vertical* extension 19. The vertical extension ofeaoh spring passes through the adjacenthole 13 in the spring bed and is provided on its lower 'end with a head 20.

YThey spring bed Vis thus secured between the centripetal extensions 18 and the heads 20 and the centripetal extensions will prevent vthe vertical extensions 19 being forced 4throughthe holes 13 whenpressure isexerted upon the springs.y The upper end of ,each springhas aneye 17. On 'account vof the conoidal formation of the springs, their convolutions can becompressed within one another, thereby providing "ay movement of flexure of maximum extent; but if desired,

cylindrical insteadmof oonoidal springsmay be used.

Resting above thetopof the is an upper member 24. ,The upper surface of this is preferablyv semi-cir'cularV in formbr of other -shapetoaccommodatethe bows 4 and through it are holes 25 to pass bolts 2l. These bolts have countersunk heads.

Resting upon the top face of the upper member may be a liner 26. This is of leather or anyother vmaterial and has countersunk holes in it to pass the heads of theboltsQl. The bolts pass through the eyes 17 at `the upper ends of the'isprings and secure the upper member thereto v.by means of ynuts 22.

and washers 23.

lVith ythis invention when the lowerbow of the top rests upon the upper member of the fastener, the free l'end ofthe strap is passed around .the inside of all of the bows and then brought down over the outside of thesame. lt is then passed throughthe buc'lde'of the strapwhichrstrap has previously been passed vthrough vthe lateral strap slot 9. When the freeV end of the strap is pulledV through the buckle and drawn it compresses the bows upon the up- Vper memberl and the springs. "These latter are compressed. r1`he said strap can be so pulled that the tongue enters a hole in the `:free end of the strapin suchfa 'manner that the bows are not Overstrained'to the upper member 24, nor are they understrained but are sufficiently tightly Vsecured to prevent the rattle and noise 'sometimes associated with similarconnections. Y

'l'alavingnow described my invention what i '1 claim as new and'desire to secure by Letu ters Patent is y 1. 'An improved fastener for the bows of vehicle tops consisting'inthe combination of av lower 'member adapted to beseoured yto I the vehicle body, a semi-circular upper member tovreceive the-lower bow of the top,

oonoidal springs disposedbetween said upper and lower members and a holding strap 'passing through said lower member and around the upper member andvthebows.

' 2. An improved fastener for thebows of vehicle tops, comprising 'a lower member adapted to be secured tothe vehicle body and comprising a spring bed7 an upper member adapted to support the vbows of the top, coiled springs disposed between said upper and lower members, each spring havingat its lower end a centripetal extension attached to said spring bed', and an adjustable strap passing over the bows and beneath the springr bed.

Y '3. An improved fastener for the bows of vehicle tops, comprising a lower memberv adapted to Vbel secured to the vehicle body,

.said lower member havingva spring bed,eaii Aupper semi-circular member adapted to accommodate the bottom bow of the top, coiled springs disposed between said upper Yand lower members, each spring having` at its lower end a centripetal extension and a vertical extension passing Vfrom said centripetal extension and through said spring 'ward the lower member.

Lacasse bed, the lower end of the vertical extension being provided with a head which is located beneath said bed, bolts passing through countersunk holes in saidupper member to secure the rupperendsof the springs thereto, and Vholding strap passing over the bows and through al slot in the lower member.

4f. An improved fastener for the bows of vehicle tops consisting in the combination yof a lower member adapted to be secured to the vehicle body, said lower memberhaving a spring bed beneath which isa" slot, an upper member adapted to Vaccommodate lthe lower bow of the top, a liner in said upper member, coiled lsprings disposed*betweeny said upper and'lower meinbers,-and a'fstrap passing through the-slotfin theA lower member and around the upper member andthe bows, whereby the tightening of said strap extension l-and a vertical4 extension passing from 'the 'cen'tripetal extension through Vthe lower member,v said vertical extension havlower member, Vcountersunl'r bolts passing fthrofugh the bottom" of the upper member and said eyes, andan adjustable strap :pass- 6. An improved fastener for thebows yof Vvehicle to s cons'isti'nYK in the combination of va lower memberadapted to'besecure'dfto 'the vehicle body and con'iprising aA spring lbed, a sem'icircularv upper 'member yadapted to accommodate thev lower bow of their-top, a liner within'said -upper member,I conoidal f springs disposed betweenthe upper andlower members, each spring having at' its upper end an eyea'nd at its loweren'd centripetal extension which rests on the flat' spring bed and` a vertical extension passing' 'from the ceiitr'ipetal extensionldownwardly through said spring bed, thelowerend ofthe ver- Atical extensionhaving ahead whichengages beneath said bed, bolts passing through countersunk holes in theliner and the bottomof the upper member, said bolts passing also through V'said eyes, ya nut 'and washer engaging each bolt cben'eath said eyes, and-V an adjustable .strap passing through the lower member and over 'the bows.

7. A fastener for vehicletop bows, comprising, in combination',v a llower member adapted to be fastened to the vehicle body ing Va head'fwhichds located beneathxsaid ing around the bowsf and through the lower member 'i per and lower members and tending to force adjustment of said strap.

and having a strap. opening in the lower 'ing and over the bowsso as to draw saidportion thereof; an upper member adapted bows fand lSaid upper member downward,

to directly support the lowermost bow; suptoward said vlower member against the ac- 10 porting springs interposed between said uption of said springs, thereby to enable fm the formerv away from the latter; and a In testimonywhereof I aX my signature. fastening strap passing through said opene WILLIAM' SMALL.

Copies of this'patent may be obtained for've cents each, by addressing'the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. v 

